requently
pronounced, appeared to produce their magic influence on Pepe. Every
now and then he turned himself, as if about to protest against the
refusal of Bois-Rose, so definitively given. It was evident he was not
sleeping very soundly while the talk was going on.

"This Don Estevan de Arechiza, of whom you speak," resumed the Canadian;
"he is the same we saw at La Poza is he not--the chief of the
expedition?"

"The same."

"Ha! is that the name he goes by here?" cried Pepe, suddenly rousing
himself from his apparent sleep.

"You know him, then?" said Tiburcio, interrogatively.

"Yes--yes," replied Pepe; "he is an old acquaintance, with whom I have
some back debts to settle--and that is why you see me in this part of
the country. But if you desire to have the whole story--and from what
has happened I fancy you will--I promise to tell it to you by-and-bye.
I begin to fancy that our cause is a common one; and if so, I shall be
able to lend you a hand. But there's a time for everything; and now,
the most important thing for me is to get some sleep, so as to be ready
for whatever turns up."

As Pepe said this, he made a movement to return to the horizontal
position from which he had temporarily raised himself.

"Stay! Pepe!" interrupted the Canadian, with an air of good-humour;
"one instant before you fall asleep, or I shall say that you deserved
the name of Pepe the Sleeper. Hear me! This young man has made us an
offer. He wishes us to accompany him to a _placer_ he knows of, where
you have only to stoop down and gather the gold in handfuls."

"Carramba!" exclaimed Pepe; "you have accepted the offer, of course?"

"On the contrary, I have refused it."

"Then you've done wrong, Bois-Rose! That's a thing that deserves
consideration; but we can talk it over by-and-bye--I must have some
sleep first." And as he uttered the last words he lay down again; and
the instant after a loud snore announced that he was soundly asleep!

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

THE RECOGNITION.

The conversation, for a moment interrupted, was resumed by Bois-Rose.

"So you shall find," said he, "in my comrade Pepe, a man ready to join
you against this Don Estevan; and, as Pepe's enemies are mine, I shall
be equally your partisan. We shall be able to offer you a brace of good
rifles that never miss their aim. There is one, at all events, I think
I can answer for."

As the trapper said this, he pointed to the long piece that